


Across Oceans: A Correspondence

by mysteriousphoenix



Series: More Than Enough [2]
Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Epistolary, F/M, Letters, Missing Scene, Post-Movie 1: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Pre-Movie 2: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:08:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23998756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mysteriousphoenix/pseuds/mysteriousphoenix
Summary: Newt and Tina write letters to each other after the events of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. As their letters cross the Atlantic, their friendship grows and eventually begins to evolve into something more. What happened between the events in New York and their meeting in Paris?Part of the "More Than Enough" ficverse.
Relationships: Tina Goldstein/Newt Scamander
Series: More Than Enough [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1730659
Comments: 13
Kudos: 45
Collections: Newtina Week 2020 #NewtinaWeek2020





	1. Chapter 1

_Note: Tina’s first letter taken from The Archive of Magic (page 51) by MinaLima._

\--------------------------------------------

22 December 1926

Dear Tina,

I have completed my journey across the Atlantic and docked this morning. I am very glad to be on solid ground once again. Six days at sea in a small cabin with no windows was enough to make me appreciate seeing the bustling streets of London once more. I am staying in a boarding house here for one night before traveling to my parents’ estate for the holidays. After that, I hope to have a permanent residence established.

Thank you, once again, for your hospitality and kindness you showed to me while I was in New York. I appreciated the time spent getting to know you and your sister, and I am grateful for your friendship. I would enjoy hearing how you have been doing if you have the time to respond.

All my best,

Newt

*****

January 9, 1927

Dear Newt,

Sorry it has taken me a while to write. I hope you and all your traveling companions had a safe journey back to England, and there were no accidental case switches along the way. Work at MACUSA is hectic, clean up from the subway incident is more widespread than imagined. We are working around the clock to make sure all the memory of the event is erased. I have been reinstated as an Auror. So how have you been? How are you keeping after recent events?

I can’t help but think of the loss of Credence from time to time, but at least for now we have Grindelwald safely in custody where he can do no more harm.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Take care of yourself,

Tina

*****

18 January 1927

Dear Tina,

It sounds as if your department has been keeping very busy following the capture of Grindelwald. I am glad to hear that Madam Picquery upheld your reinstatement. You are a fine Auror and the Investigative Team is lucky to have you. Have you found that the obliviating rain worked? I hope that the effects were permanent and not causing you extra work. I would be interested to hear what you know so I can include the information in my research.

My travels were quite uneventful. It is quite strange to be inside a suitcase with leveling charms for a few hours and then have to sleep and eat on a ship that rolls with the ocean waves. Pickett found that it was hard to make the transition between the two and decided that staying in the suitcase with the other creatures suited him well. He has, thankfully, finally forgiven me for the incident in the speakeasy and is back to calling me his tree. 

I spent the holidays with my family in Dorset in southern England where I grew up. It was an enjoyable week spent in the company of my mother and her herd of hippogriffs. She currently has nineteen beasts in her care, and she appreciated having me help her with some structural needs in her stables. My extensive practice with extension charms and building habitats proved to be quite helpful. We celebrated Christmas together as a family for the first time in several years. I was, thankfully, able to find a suitable flat rather quickly and was able to relocate to London on the first of the year. The return address found on the envelope will be my permanent address should you wish to continue our correspondence.

I have spent the last two weeks finishing the last three chapters of my book and working on building suitable habitats for my creatures within my flat. I have expanded my small basement into something suitable. Several of my creatures have been moved to their new homes, though I am nowhere near finished. I have several habitats to go until all the creatures have been relocated and then I can begin improvements and perfecting the enclosures. After nearly a year living and working out of my case, it is rather bittersweet to think of it out of use for a time. I do hope that I will have further travels in the future that will necessitate its use, but until then I shall have to find it a corner in which to rest.

Though I spent months in the field all around the world, and though I collected dozens of life-changing experiences that shall remain with me for the rest of my life, I consider my time in New York to be some of my fondest and most interesting memories from my travels. I faced situations I never thought I would, and I am thankful that I met true friends through those experiences. I have spent a lot of time thinking of the events surrounding the capture of Grindelwald, and I mourn for Credence as well. Now that I have experienced the unfortunate loss of an Obscurial twice in the span of six months, I hope to make the study of their development and possible de-escalation my next freelance study once my book has been published and I can travel again. 

How have you been in the aftermath? Is your sister feeling better now that a little time has passed since Jacob was obliviated? How have your first few weeks back on the Investigative Team been? Though you are undoubtedly busy, I hope you are able to get some time to rest. 

I hope to hear from you soon.

All my best,

Newt

*****

January 27, 1927

Dear Newt,

I hope you had an enjoyable holiday with your family. I’m glad you were able to go back home to visit for a few days. Would you tell me a bit about your family? What is your childhood home like? I’m sure it is very different from where I grew up here in the city. We grew up just a few blocks away from where we live currently. After our parents passed away, we lived with our great aunt temporarily in the very apartment where we live now. She was elderly and passed away while Queenie and I were at Ilvermorny, just days before my graduation. I was, thankfully, able to secure it for us soon after I graduated and moved back to New York for Auror training. Queenie has made it homey and comfortable for us over the past nine years and it reminds me a lot of our home where we grew up.

My time back on the Investigative Team has been tedious. I am glad that I was integral in the capture of Grindelwald, though I can’t believe I am saying so. Normally I like to stay out of the spotlight, but it has given me a bit of respect and forgiveness as I integrated back onto the team. I was thankful for that. I anticipated indifference or hostility upon my return so I will call my reception a happy surprise. We have remained quite busy and I have put in many hours of work beyond normal expectations. We are still working on small repairs that were missed in the clean-up process, following leads toward those who were not touched by the rain, and tracking any hints that people may remember any parts of the incident. So far, your Swooping Evil venom seems to have done the trick, the no-majs are not remembering. I will be happy to provide you a full report when I see you next. I’ll track progress over time and let you know what I find. 

I have two days off in a row this week and I am thankful to be able to rest and catch up on my household tasks I have been putting off. Queenie has been extra helpful since I was reinstated and I am thankful for her. She has gone above and beyond to take care of the apartment in my absence. She remains her usual, effervescent self, though I can tell that she is still harboring some pain after losing Jacob. She has thrown herself into household chores and dressmaking activities in what I believe is an effort to mask her feelings. She seems to be improving over the past couple of weeks, though, and I am hopeful that she will soon feel herself again. 

The aftermath of the incident has, honestly, left me emotionally and physically drained, though I am glad to have Grindelwald behind bars where he belongs. My greatest regret in the whole situation was the loss of Credence. When you wrote about your desire to study Obscurials, I must admit that it made me very happy. I am glad that his loss will not be in vain and that his legacy could save future magical children in need of help. If anyone is able to find the answers, it will be you. I can’t wait to hear about what you find once time allows your studies to begin.

I’m happy to hear you were able to find a suitable new home and that it met the needs of your creatures as well. I will pretend like I didn’t hear about all of those slightly illegal, undetectable extension charms you must be using to expand your basement space. Though, I have now learned it is not in my best interest to report your activities and to just let things slide. I would love to hear about your new space. What kinds of habitats have you created? Are you housing any creatures I have not had the chance to meet yet?

When you said you finished the last three chapters of your book, does that mean you finished it? How is the process going? Any hint on a publication date?

I have enjoyed our correspondence a great deal, Newt. It has been wonderful to come home after a long day to find a letter waiting for me. It has given me something to look forward to in these difficult days and I am grateful for that. 

I hope you are able to write again soon! Until then, I remain your dear friend,

Tina


	2. Chapter 2

3 February 1927

Dear Tina,

Thank you for telling me about your home growing up. I admire your strength and perseverance, it couldn’t have been easy on you to maintain that flat straight out of Ilvermorny while also attending Auror training. I add these qualities to the many reasons I value your friendship so highly. 

I told you a bit, when I was in New York, about my mother, Anne. She was born in Ireland, though her family relocated to London when she was twelve. She has lived most of her life in England, much of it on the outskirts of London, but she still appreciates the wide-open spaces in nature above the hustle of the city. Now that my parents live on the family estate, she has a large garden and a habit of bringing large bundles of flowers into the house. She always encouraged my love of creatures, though I don’t think she ever thought I would make a career of it. Unlike myself, she considers my work with creatures more of a pastime, while my authorship and position at the Ministry have become my career. 

My father, Theophilus, is the Director of the Department of Law within the Ministry and currently sits on the Wizengamot, our high court. He worked away from home quite a bit when I was a boy and I am, admittedly, not very familiar with him. We have never seen eye-to-eye and we tend to not spend much time in each others’ company.

My brother, Theseus, followed in our father’s footsteps and is currently the Head Auror in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He lives in London, rather near my new flat. He is eight years my senior and, due to our gap in age, we never had much of an opportunity to get to know each other very well. Our differences in opinion, career choices, and his absence throughout my childhood, while he was at school, have prevented us from having much of a relationship. I have always been closer to my mother while Theseus gravitates toward my father.

I grew up on our family estate near the southern edge of England. I adore the rolling hills of pastureland and forest that surround our property. I spent most of my childhood outside exploring the terrain. We lived close enough to the ocean that I could walk there, and I would several times each week during the summer months. The house is what my father would call a “modest manor house,” though I would call it obnoxious and unnecessary. 

Tell me, if you will, about your parents. Queenie mentioned them several times while I was there but I don’t know much about them. Only if you are comfortable writing about them, of course.

I am glad that your transition back onto the team has gone smoothly, though I worry about your fatigue. I hope your days off were refreshing and that you were able to get some rest. I also hope that Queenie regains her vibrancy soon and that she is not continuously affected by Jacob’s absence. I do wish, very much, that he could have been spared from obliviation. He was a good man, a good friend. I knew him for such a short time but I will miss him.

My desire to study Obscurials has been brewing in my mind for some time. I am glad that my findings could bring you some peace, though I know it will never right what has happened. If my work can bring you any happiness at all, I will do my best to make that happen. 

My flat has become more of a showpiece than my actual living space. Most of my time is spent in the basement. I prefer to be near the creatures as often as possible in case they are in need of care. I typically have several creatures who require more frequent medical interventions and staying in the menagerie makes tending to them much easier. I haven’t left Britain since returning, and I have spent most of my time writing, but I was able to complete one excursion to Scotland to obtain an injured Kelpie. He took a nasty nip from another in the herd and will be spending some time in my care. I have created a lake habitat for him and he has adjusted quite well. The sound of waves and splashing has been a welcome addition to the space. Many of the habitats are expanded versions of what you saw in my suitcase. A lot of the habitat was simply transferred and I have been expanding a bit each day. The charms are quite tricky and leave me tired if I attempt to push myself too hard. The expanded case took well over a year to create and I expect the basement will be a similar process. I am frequently moving and rethinking my layout to better meet the needs of my creatures, and I fear that I will never be truly satisfied with it.

I do have news about my book publication. I finished the draft of the book shortly after sending my last letter. Since then, I have completed my own edits and sent the draft off to my publisher to pass on to my editor. I received a letter about a fortnight ago letting me know that my entries on each creature are “too wordy” and that many sections need to be shortened. My publisher is afraid that readers will lose interest if the entries are too complicated. This has left me quite frustrated because I find myself fighting to keep information that I deem necessary in the book while they want to remove it. It has been a slow process, editing and rewriting one creature entry at a time. I have been steadily keeping up with their owls and have devoted a great deal of my time to complete the editing. I must admit that my desire for a quick publication has increased a great deal since my trip to New York. I hope to have the editing done by the end of the week so I can pass the manuscript into my publisher’s hands and be done. Then the waiting shall begin. I anticipate a spring publication, though no date has been set.

I will stop my rambling as I find this letter has filled two sheets of parchment already. I am very fond of our correspondence as well. While many of my professional pursuits have become quite tiresome, finding a letter from you waiting for me at the end of the day is something I eagerly hope for. 

Take care of yourself, Tina.

Yours,

Newt

**********

February 12, 1927

Newt,

I am sorry to hear that your editing has been such a frustrating process. I am glad that you are nearing the end, or have by the time you receive this letter, I know how much that must bother you, that you have had to cut so much information out of your manuscript. I can only imagine how much time and research went into the words you wrote down and that it must be difficult to take out as much as you are directed. You must be frustrated, and I wish there was something I could do to help you. 

Now that your time is yours again, assuming your plan to finish the edits by the end of the week was successful, what have you been working on? Has there been a publication date set yet? I am looking forward to seeing all of your hard work come to fruition. What kinds of events would be required of you around that time? I assume you will be quite busy for a while.

My work at MACUSA has been surprisingly slow this week. We have our usual misuse of muggle artifacts cases, but most of our bigger cases were wrapped up at the end of last week. We were absolutely swamped, working around the clock, and we have been for a while. Now we have had a few days to get caught up on paperwork and I have been able to leave the office on time. It has been wonderful to be home by suppertime each night. I know it will be short-lived, but I am enjoying it while it lasts.

The guard rotations at Grindelwald’s cell have been changed this week. I know that what I hear is mostly speculation because the higher-ups are trying to keep things quiet, but it sounds like he is quite persuasive. Several of his guards were starting to empathize with his mission and, thankfully, they were pulled from the position in time. I can’t imagine finding anything he says appealing after all we saw him say and do.

Some positive news has reached us! I saw in the paper last week that Kowalski’s Quality Baked Goods is set to open in March. I’ve been watching carefully for any word and was so glad to see that he was able to get his loan. I told Queenie and she went down there to look around. She got a glimpse of him from across the street as they were painting the storefront. She said he looks good. Happy. I told her to be careful and not to hang around the area. MACUSA would not be happy if they caught her near Jacob, given our history with him. She has suddenly perked up and seems to be her old self again, but I am worried about her. I don’t want her to go in there and get herself, or Jacob, in any trouble.

Your family, especially your mother, sounds wonderful. The way you write about her, I can tell you get your best features from her. I am glad she has been supportive of your work, even if it may not have been what she envisioned for you. You have become quite successful in your own way. Ministry work is not the only way to influence the world. Have you had a chance to visit with your brother now that you live nearer to each other?

Your childhood home sounds beautiful. I grew up in the city, so when I picture the rolling hills of England, it’s something straight out of one of the Victorian muggle novels I loved to read as a girl. I’m sure the charms far outweigh those in my imagination. What a wonderful place to grow up! I can understand why, in those surroundings, you grew to love the outdoors as much as you do. 

My parents were wonderful people, they had a beautiful, happy marriage and we were loved. We were not well-to-do, by any means, but we were happy. The time we did have with them was full and precious. My mother’s name was Evie, she was kind, patient, and absolutely brilliant. She worked as a midwife for a few years before marrying my father. She loved building a home for us, baking, and teaching us from her large collection of books. A lot of my favorite memories of her were of us sitting on the floor of our living room and listening to her reading from a novel. 

My father, Efraim, was born in Poland and traveled here to America as a child. He was curious and clever, popular, and an excellent dueller. He entered Auror training after Ilvermorny and excelled there. He loved his job and was very good at what he did. He was on the Rapid Response team, usually the first to enter and disable in high-stress situations. My mother worried about him constantly, but he always made it home to his girls. He was a very brave and confident man, and I always pictured myself following in his footsteps. As it turns out, I excelled at the investigative side of things, more than the responsive or patrol divisions where he worked. My father was very musical as well. He taught himself to play instruments by ear and loved to sing to us. His voice is what I miss most about him, I think.

They were wonderful people and I like to think that Queenie and I got a nice mix of their best traits between us. I look like my father’s side of the family, but Queenie looks just like our mother. Her mannerisms, her hair, and the way she holds herself all remind me so much of her. Even her laugh is exactly how I remember.

Your basement sounds amazing, Newt! If it is half as wondrous as the space you created inside the case, your creatures will certainly be happy there. I have heard of Kelpies, but I always believed them to be a myth. You actually have one in your basement! I wish I could see it, are they as big as the stories say they are? 

There is nothing wrong with trying to make your space better, but don’t overdo it. Your creatures feel safe and cared for, take it slowly and take care of yourself. You’ve been working so hard, make sure to get some rest now, especially before your publication. I assume they will keep you busy after that.

Thank you for your wonderful letters. I am not exaggerating when I say they are the highlight of my week. I’m glad that our participation in the “Grindelwald situation” led to our correspondence and friendship. I am lucky to know you.

Yours, 

Tina


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am running late on this one (and all the others) but here is #NewtinaWeek2020 prompt number 1. 
> 
> "Across the Ocean: Newt, Tina, and their letters."
> 
> Sounded like the perfect opportunity for an update to me!

20 February 1927

Tina,

What wonderful news about Jacob! I am pleased to hear that the idea we had worked as well as we had hoped. He deserves to be happy and successful and I wish him the best. Thank you for letting me know. I wonder how he is often. As for your sister, I know that you are worried about her. Queenie is intelligent and she knows what is at stake. You know your sister far better than I do, of course, but I can’t see her taking things that far. 

Thank you for your empathy over my book. I know that most of what I know about creatures may seem unnecessary, but I truly find the research to be important. I am trying to understand their side of things, but each time I cut something from my manuscript I felt like I was betraying anyone who might read my book in the future. Perhaps I will be able to include the information in another book someday. I shall find out once this one is published.

I was able to finish my edits, though they took two days longer than I had hoped. Thankfully, it does not sound as if that has delayed publication. They tell me that publication will be aimed for Mid-March with a launch event that week. There are a few wizarding bookstores across Britain that are interested in a book signing event, but nothing has been officially planned as of yet. I should have a more definite schedule for next month by the end of next week. I must admit that I am not looking forward to public events. I can’t imagine they would bring large crowds, the book is more of a specialty publication, but I have never enjoyed that kind of attention. I suppose that my brother may come out for the event. I haven’t seen him in several weeks, to answer your question. He is very busy at work, as am I, and we have not had the chance to see one another.

Since I passed the edits off to my editor, I have been devoting most of my time this week to my work at the Ministry. After almost a year away from the office, you can imagine the paperwork waiting for me upon my return. I have had two relocation calls so far this week, and it has been nice to get back to traveling around the country. I am looking forward to a time in the near future where I can give more of my time to the more active side of my profession. I am sure you can infer that I am not one for menial paperwork or sitting in an office. I would much rather be active and experience cases practically rather than theoretically. I think you and I have that in common.

I am glad you were able to get a few days of rest, and I hope that work has not become too much again. I do know that you thrive on the action, though, so if you do find yourself overworked, I hope that you are at least staying safe and taking care of yourself. I know that I am the pot calling the kettle black in this case, but I do mean well. The Grindelwald news you shared is most interesting. I am not surprised at the news of his persuasive nature, in fact, I would be surprised if he were not trying to lure powerful witches and wizards to his side, even within the confines of a cell. It was a lucky catch, and I am very thankful that the officials in charge were able to put a stop to any terrible events that could have come from that situation. I fear what that man can do, especially with you so near to him.

Thank you for sharing some of the stories of your parents with me. I feel quite honored to have been included in this part of your life. They sound like they were kind, generous, and brave people, all traits they passed down. They would be proud of the successful, brave person you have become. 

Because of the upcoming schedule for my book release and my return to the Ministry, I actually decided to hire a part-time assistant to help me with habitat upkeep and creature care. I’m not sure, yet, who would be properly qualified to handle the various creatures in my care, but I have had a couple of applicants so far. I am hopeful that someone will qualify. It would be nice to have some help now that I cannot dedicate the hours that I was while traveling. The basement has been improving and I am adding and moving things around daily. Each creature seems to like their environment so far, though it is still very much a work in progress.

I hope to show the work I have done to you someday. I know that this may be a bold statement, but with every new thing I add, I am often thinking of how I would like to share it with you. I know that you enjoyed going down into the case when I was in New York, and what I have built here will be far larger and more organized than what you have already seen. I know that the chances of you ever being in London are small, but I hope that if you ever are, I can share this part of my work with you.

To continue my theme of boldness, Tina, each letter I receive from you is the highlight of my day. The highlight of my week, if I am being honest. To see that the feeling is mutual made me happier than I have been in quite some time. I enjoyed our conversations in person while I was there with you, and I treasure the words you send me. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and stories with me. 

I look forward to your next letter. Be well, Tina.

Yours,

Newt

**********

February 28, 1927

Dear Newt,

I can assure you that your boldness is most agreeable. After each letter, I imagine what your space must look like, you hard at work there, doing what you love. I would love to see it someday, though I am unfortunately stuck on this side of the ocean for now. We will see what the future brings. I am not against traveling, though I haven’t spent any time outside of my own country. How my experiences pale in comparison to your own! I hope to travel one day when life allows.

I wish I shared your faith in Queenie, but she may not know when to stop. She admitted to lurking around the outside of Jacob’s bakery the other day, and I fear that she will do something foolish. She is a headstrong person and often does not think before she acts.

How exciting that your book launch is so soon! I am proud of you and your accomplishment. I hope that all preparations and the publishing process go well. I am surprised at the speed with which they were able to get the book edited and to the printers. I thought it would take much longer! I am still sorry that they had to take so many of your findings from the manuscript. I hope that you will share some of them with me someday. I would love to hear more, to listen to your stories of finding your creatures. You told me the story of how you found the occamies, but I am sure that was just one of many fascinating experiences you have had. 

If you don’t mind, I will match your boldness with some boldness of my own. What are your goals for the future? Do you want to travel more or do you plan to stay closer to England? I can’t imagine you settling down and not seeing the world, but I only know you as a traveler. It seems strange that we have known each other for such a short amount of time. I wish that we could speak in person again. I am thankful for letters, but nothing compares to an evenly matched conversation over tea and coffee.

I am eagerly awaiting your next letter.

Yours, 

Tina

P.S. Have you found a suitable assistant yet?

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr! [@themysteriousphoenix ](https://themysteriousphoenix.tumblr.com/)


End file.
